Instagram is doing this to make its platform safer for teens | Tech News

Instagram is doing this to make its platform safer for teens

  • The age information is necessary for the new features that Instagram is developing to protect young people.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Aug 21 2022, 20:02 IST
If users see a warning screen on their phones, they will be asked for their birthday before the post can be revealed.
If users see a warning screen on their phones, they will be asked for their birthday before the post can be revealed. (REUTERS)
If users see a warning screen on their phones, they will be asked for their birthday before the post can be revealed.
If users see a warning screen on their phones, they will be asked for their birthday before the post can be revealed. (REUTERS)

Instagram has announced that it will send out prompts to users to fill in their birthday details. While these prompts can be dismissed, Instagram is looking to make it a mandate eventually to continue using the social media platform. As per the company, the prompts will help them understand how old everyone is on Instagram and prevent content that isn't suitable for young people to appear on their feed. Instagram has been working on making the platform safer for teens. It recently rolled out an update that blocked adults from messaging teens on Instagram.

According to a new blog post, the age information is necessary for the new features that Instagram is developing to protect young people. It will now start to ask users for their birthday when they open the app. If you have already mentioned your birthday in the app, you might not receive the prompt. This is for only those who haven't mentioned their date of birth beforehand. The app will show a notification for such users at the top of their feed a handful of times. If they still don't provide the required details to a certain point, the users will need to share it to continue using the app.

Additionally, if users see a warning screen on their phones, they will be asked for their birthday before the post can be revealed. Up until now, users could just click on the ‘See Video' or ‘See Image' button at the bottom of the warning and see the hidden content. However, that is changing. Plus, all users who haven't shared their birthday will see a ‘Confirm Your Age' button instead of the “See video” or “see image” button. The company likely wants to limit access to certain content based on age.

Moreover, the company is working on the ability to estimate how old a person is by using artificial intelligence. The AI will take into consideration factors like “Happy Birthday” posts and recognise those users who have fed the wrong birthdate. It will then prompt them with options to verify their proper age. However, all of this is still in the early stages and no launch timeline was shared for this feature.

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First Published Date: 31 Aug, 16:04 IST
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